Moscow police have detained a man who got plastic surgery to change his appearance as a way to avoid arrest for allegedly stealing 20 million rubles ($309,800) through a debt collection scam.
The suspect and his wife would steal money from companies by submitting fake documents to arbitration courts to collect debts for services they did not actually provide, the state-run RIA Novosti news agency quoted Interior Ministry representative Irina Volk as saying.
The man, 56, underwent plastic surgery to evade detection from law enforcement, Volk said.
Police conducted 10 raids across Moscow region and Nizhny Novgorod region, seizing falsified documents, mobile phones, personal computers and SIM cards connected to the crimes.
The man was taken into custody and the 29-year-old woman was placed under house arrest, RIA reported. Authorities have opened a criminal case in connection with the crimes.
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